1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to gripping or clamping devices, and more particularly to devices which grip or clamp the skin. It also relates generally to stretching devices, and more particularly to devices which stretch the skin. It also relates to devices which promote expansion of skin through new skin growth.
2. Description of Prior Art
Although the idea of restoring foreskin may seem bizarre to some, there are many good reasons for doing so. Human beings show remarkable hubris in blithely cutting off something which it took mother nature millions of years to design. Some of the reasons for the existence of foreskin can be seen by comparing intact men with circumcised men. The foreskin of intact males produces pheromonesxe2x80x94sexual stimulantsxe2x80x94which have been proven to increase the man""s attractiveness to others. Removing the foreskin also removes its natural gliding, xe2x80x9clubricatingxe2x80x9d function. Of women who expressed a preference, 90% favored sex with intact, rather than circumcised, men. Women are 40% more likely to have multiple orgasms with intact men. Not only his partners, but the male victim of circumcision himself also has greatly reduced sexual pleasure as the result of losing his foreskin. Besides losing millions of sensory nerve endings in the cut off skin, his unprotected glans is converted from a moist, glassy smooth, highly sensitive mucoid surface into a rough, dry, cornified structure with greatly reduced sensitivity.
Although routine infant male circumcision is still commonplace, its frequency is declining. This trend has been hastened, in part, by positions taken recently by two prestigious medical bodies in the United States. Although it had been claimed in the past that circumcision prevents many deaths from penile cancer, this research has been found flawed, and the American Cancer Society website currently has the following statement: xe2x80x9cThe consensus among studies that have taken these other factors into account is that circumcision is not of value in preventing cancer of the penis. It is important that the issue of circumcision not distract the public""s attention from avoiding known penile cancer risk factors.xe2x80x9d Also, xe2x80x9cAs representatives of the American Cancer Society, we would like to discourage the American Academy of Pediatrics from promoting routine circumcision as preventative measure for penile or cervical cancer.xe2x80x9d
In 1998, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a new policy statement which states, xe2x80x9c. . . data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision. In circumstances in which there are potential benefits and risks, yet the procedure is not essential to the child""s current well-being, parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child.
At present, there is no medical organization anywhere in the world which recommends routine male circumcision.
Although female circumcision has long been viewed with alarm as being a form of genital mutilation, the corresponding male genital mutilation of circumcision is often considered inconsequential, or even desirable.
The United States is the only industrialized nation which routinely circumcises male infants for non-religious reasons. The widespread American practice of routine infant male circumcision began between 1880 and 1920. In the widespread anti-sex atmosphere of that period, circumcision advocates pushed infant circumcision, claiming that it would prevent boys from masturbating, and further claiming to believe that by preventing masturbation, then one would also prevent many cases of brain tumors, epilepsy, diarrhea, etc. Although circumcision didn""t stop masturbation, it did leave many males with a lifetime of impaired sexual enjoyment for both them and their partners. These are some of the reasons that some men have decided to restore their foreskins.
The methods of foreskin restoration presently available are quite limited. One method has been the creation of a new foreskin through surgical techniques. Donor skin is usually taken from the scrotum and attached to the penis so as to form a somewhat natural-appearing foreskin. This method has many disadvantages, which have caused it to fall into disfavor. Its use is discouraged by groups of men interested in restoration because of the following disadvantages. It is quite expensive, costing several thousand dollars. It has all the risks associated with surgery, including scarring, infection, hemorrhage, and risk of reactions to anesthesia. The transplanted skin does not have the characteristics of normal foreskin: It is wrinkled rather than smooth, has hair growing where it doesn""t belong, and, being deprived of nerves, it lacks sensation. After surgery, there is a period of recovery during which the man cannot engage in sex. But the greatest disadvantage is that the surgically restored foreskin does not have the normal gliding action of the natural foreskin.
Organizations of men interested in foreskin restoration are unanimous in their recommendation that restoration be achieved through the application of tension to the skin of the penile shaft. Tension on skin does not merely stretch the skin, but, more importantly, it actually induces growth of new skin tissue.
Foreskin restoration through tension avoids the disadvantages of surgery and produces a foreskin which is nearly normal in both appearance and function. But, as generally employed, restoration through tension is very time consuming, generally taking several years to complete. It also has many other disadvantages, to be described below.
The most commonly employed method of restoration through tension involves applying tape to the skin of the shaft and pulling on itxe2x80x94via either an elastic band or by small weights hung from the tape. Since this method involves tape left on the penis for days at a time, it causes problems with spontaneous sex or showers in public places. Also, since stress is concentrated along the edge of the tape, skin tears are common. Furthermore, repeatedly applying and removing the tape is very irritating to the skin. The most commonly used tape configuration, called T-tape, requires that one get an erection before applying the tape. Needless to say, this greatly increases the inconvenience and time required for applying the tape.
In a search for foreskin restoration patents, the only patent found was U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,396, xe2x80x9cDevice for stretching the foreskin of the penis.xe2x80x9d This device has many disadvantages compared to this current application because:
1. It uses adhesive tape to secure the foreskin to the device, with all the above-mentioned problems with tape.
2. The device is essentially a large, cumbersome metal weight which would swing around while one walked, making it inappropriate for use in any public setting.
3. The device is so large that it would be very conspicuous under most clothing, and so, again, not suited for public use, and not suited to use during sleep because of discomfort if one rolled over on it during the night.
Another patent which has some superficial resemblance to the current application (although it has nothing to do with foreskin restoration) is U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,923, xe2x80x9cExternal urinary drainage device.xe2x80x9d This device does have an inner member which fits over the glans, and an outer member which covers the pulled-up foreskin, which are features of the current application. However, there are many differences, specifically:
1. The xe2x80x9cExternal Urinary Drainage Devicexe2x80x9d is used to collect urine, not expand foreskin.
2. The inner member is described as a xe2x80x9ccondom,xe2x80x9d or, alternatively, as being semirigid. In my device, the inner member is rigid.
3. The xe2x80x9cExternal Urinary Drainage Devicexe2x80x9d is intended for use only with uncircumcised penises. My device is used only with circumcised penises.
4. In the xe2x80x9cExternal Urinary Drainage Device,xe2x80x9d the outer member is firmly attached to the central drainage tube. In my device, the outer member is completely unattached to the central means for applying tension.
5. In the xe2x80x9cExternal Urinary Drainage Device,xe2x80x9d the outer member is inverted and everted for application and removal of the device. In my device, the outer member is not inverted nor everted; it is simply slid onto the skin.
In my patent search, I found no other patents which even deserve comment, as they have no similarity to the present application.
There are several restoration devices described in the literature and websites devoted to restoration. These all require that there be more than enough skin so that it can be pulled down over, and at least one-quarter inch beyond, the tip of the glans, so that there is enough room for taping the drawn-forward foreskin with a ring of tape. At this stage, one device being used is a portion of a baby bottle nipple. The large part of the nipple is placed over the glans, the skin is drawn up over it and along the smaller nipple part. The skin is then taped with a tape ring. An elastic cord or small weight can then be attached to the nipple to provide gentle tension. As the foreskin progressively lengthens, the thin cap can be replaced by progressively thicker versions, often made of foam rubber, until one has a high domed structure between the glans and foreskin. Again, this method incurs all the disadvantages of tape, and allows only very low tension to be applied to the skin.
Another alternative involves a tiny dumbbell-shaped device, in which one end of the dumbbell is taped inside the foreskin, with the other end outside for some added weight. This device is sold commercially as xe2x80x9cForeballs.xe2x80x9d
There are a few other commercially available devices to aid foreskin restoration, in addition to the Foreballs mentioned above. These include the PUD (Penile Uncircumcision Device), which is a roughly cylindrical stainless steel device in which one end is hollowed out, to be positioned over the glans. The skin is then pulled up around the PUD and taped to it. Besides having the disadvantages involved with tape, this device is quite visible inside pants and swings around while walking. It is recommended that it not be worn at night, so tape must be applied and removed daily. It is also rather expensive.
Another device available commercially is called the RECAP EZ. It consists of a small plastic cone which sits on the glans, with the skin pulled up over the cone. An elastic band is then stretched and placed over the skin to hold it in place. To the tip of the cone is attached one end of a rubber tubing, the other end of which is attached to a sort of splint. (See attached photograph). The splint, which is made of rigid plastic, surrounds the base of the penis, extends along the bottom of the penis and several inches beyond its tip to where the end of the rubber tubing is fastened.
In use, this device is very uncomfortable unless it is allowed to project out from the body, so it cannot be worn in public or at night. It is uncomfortable to use, in part because of the elastic band. The elastic band is rather narrow, being only about one-quarter inch wide, and so it exerts rather high pressure because of its narrowness. To compound the problem with pressure, the elastic band must be stretched to apply it over the skin, so that it exerts pressure even when no tension is applied. Also, because the elastic band stretches more and more as more tension is applied to the rubber tubing, if more than about one pound of tension is applied, the cone pulls out through the hole in the elastic band, and the device simply falls off. Furthermore, in part due to the cone shape of the inner member which is placed over the glans, the device does not tolerate varying levels of tension, as would occur if the rubber tubing were attached to the leg, for example. It easily falls off under such conditions.
Another device, the Dual-action Incremental Longitudinally Expanding (DILE) Insert provides a mechanical method for providing mild tension by increasing the space between the glans and the foreskin, which is taped over the device (see diagram). As with other such space-filling methods, there are all the disadvantages of the tape, as well as the fact that the penis is made to at least appear to be smaller due to its being pushed back by the device.
The chief disadvantages of these devices include the time required for restoration (usually years), and the need to apply tape to the skin, with all the attendant disadvantages of tape mentioned above. Sometimes an elastic band is substituted for the tape, but this has the disadvantage that, if it is tight enough to hold the skin securely, then it cuts off blood flow. Also, these devices allow only minimal tension to be applied to the skin because, with higher tension, either skin tears occur along the tape edge, or the device slips off, or both.
There exists another, far more rapid method of skin expansion which is used by plastic surgeons to provide large amounts of skin for reconstructive surgery and to cover skin defects resulting from removal of large skin lesions such as cancer. When used surgically, a heavy rubber balloon is first implanted under normal skin where the expansion is desired. Then saline is injected under pressure into the balloon, and left in place. Perhaps every two days, more saline is injected. Responding to the skin tension over the balloon, new skin cells grow, creating additional skin tissue, with a consequent lowering of tension on the skin. Using this method, providing an amount of skin similar to that needed for foreskin restoration takes only a few weeks, rather than the years generally required for restoration using current techniques.
It would appear that if one could more closely duplicate the parameters of tension and time involved in surgical skin restoration, then foreskin restoration should be dramatically accelerated.
In accordance with the present invention, a skin gripping device, consisting of an inner and an outer gripping member, for applying tension to the skin of the shaft of a circumcised penis. The space formed between these two gripping members is approximately uniform and approximately the thickness of the double layer of skin which they grip when they are pressed together. In response to the stimulus provided by skin tension, new skin grows, and the result is a new foreskin which approximates the original in structure and function.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
a) Extreme ease and speed of attaching (10 seconds) and removing (2 seconds) the device from the penis.
b) No tape or anything else remains on the skin, which allows showers in semi-public areas, as well as spontaneous sex.
c) In contrast to T-tape, no need to get an erection before applying the device.
d) Much more comfortable than other methods because the gripping force is distributed over a larger area.
e) No taste.
f) Can be worn day and/or night.
g) Inconspicuous with ordinary loose-fitting clothing.
h) The inner gripping member provides an occlusive covering for the glans, thereby creating a moist environment which encourages the transformation of the cornified epithelium back to its natural state of being a mucous membrane with a thin, sensitive epithelium.
i) The gripping force automatically changes with need, being stronger with greater tension, and weaker with less tension, and virtually zero when no tension is applied.
j) Because the outer gripping member undergoes very little expansion when tension is applied to the inner member, quite high tensions (up to fifteen pounds for short periods) can easily be achieved, without having the inner member pull out through the hole in the outer member.
k) More rapid foreskin expansion is possible because greater tension is both feasible and comfortable.
l) By applying counter tension to the strut, the gripping pressure is automatically reduced. This can even be done through one""s clothing to relieve any discomfort or to remove the device quickly.
m) Due to the attached wings, it is easy to push or pull on the end of the strut, either directly or through one""s pants. Pushing on the strut reduces clamping pressure, to ease removal or relieve discomfort. By intermittently pulling strongly on the wings, one can achieve high skin tension, which has recently been shown to greatly accelerate skin expansion.